A steakhouse opening in some strip mall in a sea of strip malls usually doesn't grab my attention.

But because I recently wrote an article on the surge of steakhouses opening in the area I decided to visit the recently opened Prime29 at 6545 Orchard Lake Rd. in West Bloomfield.

The dining room is what you'd expect from a modern steakhouse: half-circle booths, check; tables draped in white linen, check; impressive wine-cellar anchoring the bar, check; private dining area separated by a glass wall complete with the restaurants name etched in it, check.

Before we got started, I had an informal interview with Prime29's 30-year-old sommelier, Mike Derylo.

Derylo has spent more than 1,000 hours studying to become a Certified Wine Educator. He is not quite there yet, but has passed levels one and two of the sommelier course.

But it wasn't until I met the head chef that I recognized this steakhouse was different than others I've visited.

In my experience, most head chefs are white guys in their 30s, tattoos hidden underneath chefs jackets, full of humor when it comes to life, but deadly serious when it comes to their cuisine.

Nathan Skid

Hai Ying: "We all start from somewhere in this business. Some people go to school to learn technique. I skipped that and did my training hands on."

So when Hai Ying walked out of the kitchen and quietly introduced herself as the executive chef, I took note.

Ying was not formally trained in the culinary arts; rather she was schooled in sweat, hard work and diligence.

When Ying moved to the U.S. from southern China at age 24, she already knew her passion lay somewhere other than in a cubicle.

Ying spent two years as a marketing manager for PepsiCo in Guang Zhou before her family left China for America in 1999.

Somehow, Ying talked her way into a pastry chef job at Iridescence at MotorCity Casino Hotel, working under Master Chef Michael Russell.

From there she moved to prep cook, then sautȁ;, grill and finally sous chef.

"We all start from somewhere in this business. Some people go to school to learn technique. I skipped that and did my training hands-on," Ying said.

Ying is enthusiastic about her first head chef position, and it showed in the way she talked about her style of cuisine.

Ying prepared several dishes to show off, but by far the best was the miso-marinated sea bass.

I usually don't get into the critiquing of food, leaving that to the pros at the daily newspapers, but this sea bass was cooked perfectly.

In fact, it was the best piece of fish I've ever laid eyes on. Just look at it!

Ying also prepared crab cakes which are held together by a shrimp mousse instead of mayonnaise and bread crumbs, hoison shrimp, a beet-and-grapefruit salad and finally, a prime, dry-aged New York strip steak with a potato mousse, fresh vegetables and a one-of-a-kind zip sauce.

Strip steaks are my least favorite cut of meat. They tend to be dry, coarse and lean, which would be great for belt making. (For the record, a medium-rare rib eye with high fat content is my idea of a perfect steak.)

But the New York strip was good. It should be since every steak at Prime29 is USDA-certified prime and dry-aged for 29 days, hence the name.

But Ying had a secret weapon, a velvety zip sauce that brought the lean steak to a higher level.

I have had the best Morton's has to offer; Ying's steak was right up there with the best of them.

Ying said she draws on her own inspiration for the dishes she conjures up. She said the ownership told her which proteins would be on the menu and the rest was up to her.

"Passion will always lead you to the places you want to go," Ying said. "And this place is my baby."

Prime29 has a chance to be a hit if it manages to lose its strip-mall image.

As the old adage goes, don't judge a book by its cover. Or in this case a steakhouse by its location.